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Toronto Maple Leafs: Michael Bunting and More Calder Trophy Candidates

By Mike Jack

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 16: Michael Bunting #58 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his 1st goal as a Maple Leaf against the Ottawa Senators during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 16, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Senators 3-1.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 16: Michael Bunting #58 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his 1st goal as a Maple Leaf against the Ottawa Senators during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 16, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Senators 3-1.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs, Trevor Zegras
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 04: Trevor Zegras #46 of the Anaheim Ducks,  . (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Trevor Zegras – Anaheim Ducks Centre

Age: 20
Goals: 15
Points: 41
Games: 50
Draft: 1st Round (9th Overall) in 2019

My bet is on Trevor Zegras winning the Calder trophy.  I’m also predicting that he leads all NHL rookies in scoring by the end of the season.  He’s two points behind Lucas Raymond right now, but has played four less games.

I think voters will see him at the top of rookie scoring, they’ll remember the crazy “Michigan” goal he scored, the wild over the net assist and the insane Breakaway Challenge goal from the NHL All-Star game and it’ll be a no-brainer.

Right now, the only player taken out of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft with more points than Trevor Zegras is 1st overall pick, Jack Hughes.  Again, it’s still really to early to tell who won the 2019 draft, but getting the second best player at 9th overall looks good for the Ducks.

Travor Zegras was named NHL Rookie of the Month for December 2021 and is definitely deserving of the Calder.  It’s certainly wouldn’t be a crime if he won, but I would probably choose Jeremy Swayman, Moritz Seider and Michael Bunting over him if I was voting.

Nothing against Zegras, I just feel that the other three will have accomplished more by the end of the season.  Swayman has some of the best goaltending stats in the league, Seider is a complete defenseman at only 20 years old, and I think Bunting will have a lot more goals than Zegras by the end of the year.

If Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale or Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond make the NHL All-Rookie Team, it will be the first time teammate have been on the All-Rookie Team since the Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were on the team in 2017.

Two sets of teammates have been on the NHL All-Rookie Team together four times in NHL history: 2014 (Frederik Andersen, Hampus Lindholm, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson), 2007 (Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Matt Carle, Marc-Édouard Vlasic), 2000 (Simon Gagné, Brian Boucher, Scott Gomez, Brian Rafalski) and 1985 (Mario Lemieux, Warren Young, Chris Chelios, Steve Penney)

Two teammates have been on the NHL All-Rookie Team together many times, but only the 1987 Los Angeles Kings have had three players on the All-Rookie Team in the same year: Luc Robitaille, Jimmy Carson and Steve Duchesne.

Leafs Prospect Pool Great Despite Being Cup Contender. dark. Next

I’m wishing Michael Bunting the best of luck in the Calder race.  I’ll be cheering him on despite his uphill battle against some tough competition.

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